Gloria Wright/The Post Standard Two firefighters were killed in this house fire on Sweet Road in Pompey in this 2002 file photo

It was a routine March night when the call came in about a house fire in Pompey.

Manlius firefighter/paramedic Lt. Brett Luce remembers he was checking his equipment alongside John “Gino” Ginocchetti when they got the fire call, but Luce was sent on a medical call in Manlius.

After his call, Luce heard on his radio that his friend and another firefighter were missing. He rushed to the scene, making his way into a back room of the burning single-family home at 2841 Sweet Road.

“I could see that the first floor had collapsed onto a weight bench in the basement,” he said. “It was very smoky and I could only see a few feet. We feared the worst, because we were pretty sure no one could have survived that.”

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the night Manlius firefighter Ginocchetti , 41, and Fayetteville firefighter Timothy “T. J.” Lynch, 28, died fighting a house fire . They died after crashing through a floor into a basement workshop where the fire had started.

The passage of years has eased the sharp edges of loss somewhat for those who knew the men, but their colleagues and fellow firefighters say they’ll never forget the two — or stop missing them.

Firefighters from all over the county will gather to remember the fallen men at a special memorial ceremony at 7 p.m. today at the Manlius Fire Station on Stickley Drive. There will be readings, a placing of wreaths, an honor guard processional, words of remembrance, a moment of silence and music provided by two Fayetteville-Manlius students. The public is invited.

This morning, there also will be private remembrances at each of the gravesites, also arranged by firefighters who knew the pair.

“We’re not going to forget T.J. and Gino,” said John Buskey, an assistant chief and chaplain for the Manlius Fire Department. “What happened had an incredible impact on everyone in our department, and it’s shaped our whole culture. It’s reminded us to how important the little things in life are as we remember and honor them. And it’s made us much more aware of each other’s safety.”

Along with lingering sadness, there’s also tension because Lynch’s widow, Donna Prince Lynch, filed a lawsuit over her husband’s death. Lawyers are preparing to take the case to court next week.

Timothy "T.J." Lynch

John "Gino" Ginocchetti

Manlius Fire Chief Paul Whorrall said the tragedy has taken a toll on everyone.

“It’s made for a lot of friction among fire departments, and a lot of blaming,” he said. “We try to move on, but the lawsuit keeps coming up and then everyone has to relive the whole thing.”

In the fire service, the saying is “never forget,” and Whorrall said that will never happen.

“You think it can’t happen to you,” he said. “You think it’s just big city departments. You never think of something like this happening with a smaller fire department."

Whorrall said members are more aware now of the dangers they face on a daily basis. Training has become an ever bigger priority with departments, Whorrall said, and there’s more emphasis on weighing risk versus reward.

Fayetteville Fire Chief Paul Hildreth said his department’s whole philosophy has changed to make training a top priority.

In the past four years, volunteers in Fayetteville have been required to do 12 hours on duty in the firehouse, rather than just responding to calls from their homes. Also, training used to take place one night a week; now training is held every night.

Hildreth said he still finds the deaths shocking, and isn’t convinced everyone has learned from it.

“The majority of our members today are fairly young and didn’t know T.J. or John, but we will continue to honor their memory,” he said.

Friends and colleagues describe the two firefighters as hard-working and dedicated. Whorrall remembers T.J. as being young and infused with adrenaline. Gino was a go-getter, but he was also very religious and caring, Whorrall said.

Shawn Tompkins, a Fayetteville firefighter who is now a lieutenant at the DeWitt fire department, had been T.J.’s partner for about a year when he died. T.J, he recalls, was fun and outgoing.

“You never knew what he might say or do to make you laugh,” he said.

T.J. dreamed of getting a spot on the “Survivor” television show, so he recruited some of his friends to help make a video he could send into the producers.

“One of the scenes was him sliding down a pole at the firehouse, and I remember shooting that scene over and over,” Tompkins said. “I don’t know if he ever sent it in.”

On that fateful night, Tompkins got a call to report to his station and thought he was being asked to put in some extra time. When he learned about the fire and discovered his partner was missing, he drove to the scene and wanted to look for him in the fire. His chief sent him to the Manlius fire station instead.

Once he learned what happened, he went to tell T.J.’s wife, Donna before she saw the news on television.

Tompkins stays in touch with Lynch’s widow and son.

Another tragedy struck the Ginocchetti’s family a few years after the fire. His widow, Pamela, was stabbed to death in 2006 by her son. Timothy, who is now serving 15 years in state prison for manslaughter.

Luce said he misses Gino as a friend as well as a fellow firefighter who served as his mentor.

“He was so organized and task oriented, he said. “I remember when I got there he would be working out on the treadmill, but only after he’d stopped at Temple’s dairy and had a couple of doughnuts.”

Luce said March 7 had to be one of the longest nights of his life.
“It’s sobering thinking that could have easily been me,” he said.